Generation Gap ...

As with many people my age, part of being raised as a child was having your mom or dad plop you down infront of the television and having your brain scrambled with images of makebelieve neighborhoods, corny esteem-building songs and oversized singing and talking animals.

With my father being a model railroading buff and myself having an over-the-top collection of Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels, one of my favorite shows was Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. The fascination wasn't in the lessons learned in the Land of Makebelieve or the short film clips inserted into Picture-Picture, but the opening and closing credits, when the camera would pan over the cardboard lawns and plastic houses of "The Neighborhood". I can remember sneaking into my father's workshop while he was at work, climbing up on a high stool, reaching into the cabinet above the extra freezer, and carefully pulling down the two large boxes of delicately assembled and painted houses stored inside. (Dad was/is a model railroader, but still, all these years later, has never completely finished a working display)

Anyway, I would empty the boxes onto the family room floor and construct my own neighborhood, using the funky geometric pattern in the 60's style carpeting as my street grid. It was fun playing God and ruling over this tiny town I've created, pushing my Matchbox cars along the streets and pulling up into driveways. Who was I going to visit today and what was I going to find happening in my "neighbor's" house? Oops! Mrs. Johnson didn't see the stop sign as she sped her Hot Wheels dune buggy through the intersection and--CRASH!--slammed right into Mr. Peters' oil truck and--

BOOM!!

...The whole neighborhood goes up in flames just in time for me to pack up and put away the houses before my dad got home from work and found me fooling around with his stuff.

I know...I know...dimented imagination.

But at least Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood got my imagination (as sick as it is) working.

Another show I was fascinated with (although I don't know why) was The New Zoo Review. As I said, I can't explain my fascination with this program, but I remember 3:00 every weekday afternoon, sitting infront of the television in my parents' bedroom and staring at Frederick, the Frog and Henrietta Hippo and the owl (can't remember his name). I can even remember the lyrics to the opening theme (algthough I won't write them here. You'll just think I'm wierd. Maybe I got glued to that show because I knew that "The Hood" was on afterward. I don't know, but I bring up "The Zoo" to explain the reason for this writing.

This morning (as with every morning), I'm sitting on the sofa, legs folded up next to me with C-Rex curled up in a tight ball behind my knees and softly snoring, coffee in one and and remote control in the other. I'm flipping through the channels and come across a familiar cast of characters. There's Henrietta Hippo, her tight floral print dress twirling around as she bounced across the soundstage. Her southern accent, strong and squeaky, I was suddenly reminded of Delta Burke and the way she ballooned up during her last year of Designing Women.

My God, I thought. Is this show still on? I watched in morbid curiosity, making sure the livingroom blinds were closed so no one would peak in and see what was on my television screen. My question was soon answered when Doug and Emmy-Jo, the only "humans" on the show appeared on screen and were dressed in the loud wardrobe you can only find if your turned back the clock 35 years (or walked into a vintage clothing store).

The episode that was airing had something to do with putting on a circus, and each character happily displayed their talents with the props they were given by the stage-hands. Emmy-Jo displayed her skills equestrian skills riding a sawhorse. I listened to the cheers from the rest of the cast and suddenly found myself bursting into uncontrolable laughter at what was being said on the screen. C-Rex was so startled, he jumped into the air, off the couch and darted into the kitchen.

It took a long time getting here, but this was where I was heading with the title of this post: "Generation Gap". The way a simple turn of phrase can be used more than three decades ago in a children's show is now a porn industry term. This is what I mean...

Cheers from the other characters as Emmy-Jo rode the sawhorse:

* "Look at her ride!"
* "Go Emmy-Jo!"
* "Show 'em how you ride bareback!"
Emmy-Jo whips off the small red cape she was wearing.
* "Oh yeah! Look at how she rides bareback!"
" "You're a great bareback rider!"
" "Look how pretty she looks bareback!"

I'm still chuckling and wiping a tear from my eye...